Cu CORE BALL, SOLDER PASTE AND SOLDER JOINT

ABSTRACT

A Cu core ball suppresses a soft error and its alpha dose is low. Its surface roughness does not affect a mounting process. A pure degree of the Cu ball as an internal ball is equal to or larger than 99.9% and equal to or less than 95%. A total contained amount of Pb and/or Bi in impurity contained in the Cu ball is equal to or larger than 1 ppm. Its sphericity is equal to or higher than 0.95. A solder plating film coated on the Cu ball is a Sn solder plating film or a solder plating film comprising a lead free solder alloy whose primary component is Sn. In the solder plating film, a contained amount of U is equal to or less than 5 ppb and that of Th is equal to or less than 5 ppb. A total alpha dose of the Cu ball and the solder plating film is equal to or less than 0.0200 cph/cm 2 . An arithmetic average roughness of the Cu core ball is equal to or less than 0.3 μm.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention contains the subject matter related to JapanesePatent Application No. 2014-13528 filed in the Japanese Patent Office onJan. 28, 2014, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a Cu core ball, a solder paste and asolder joint having an improved surface roughness and low alpha dose.

2. Description of Related Art

Recently, along development of compact information equipment, electroniccomponents to be mounted on them have been downsized rapidly. A ballgrid alley (hereinafter referred to as “BGA”) having electrodes at itsrear surface is applied to such electronic components in order tosatisfy a requirement of a narrowed connection terminal and a reducedmounting area because of the downsizing requirement.

In the electronic components wherein the BGA is applied to itssemiconductor package, a semiconductor chip having electrodes is sealedwith resin and solder bumps are formed on the electrodes of thesemiconductor chip. The solder bump is that a solder ball is joined tothe electrode of the semiconductor chip. This solder bump is connectedto a conductive land of a printed circuit board so as to be mounted onthe printed circuit board.

Recently, a three-dimensional high-density package is studied bystacking up the semiconductor packages in a height direction in order tomeet the further high-density mounting.

In a case that the BGA is applied to the semiconductor package for thethree-dimensional high-density mounting, the solder ball may be crushedby a semiconductor package's weight. If such an accident happens, thesolder may be forced out so that a Short circuit may happen between theelectrodes.

In order to resolve the above-described problems, it is considered touse a ball whose hardness is higher than that of the solder ball. As theball having a higher hardness, a solder bump using a Cu ball or Cu coreball is reviewed. The Cu core ball is that a coating (solder platingfilm) is formed on a surface of the Cu ball.

Since the Cu ball and the Cu core ball do not melt at a meltingtemperature of the solder, the solder bump does not crush at amountingprocess even if the solder bump receives the weight of the semiconductorpackage. Therefore, the semiconductor package can be supported verywell. Such technology associated to the Cu ball and the like isdisclosed, for example, in International Patent Publication No.WO/1995/24113 (hereinafter referred to as “WO/1995/24113 publication”).

By the way, the downsizing of the electronic components allows thehigh-density mounting, but the high-density mounting causes soft errorproblems. The soft error is a possibility of rewriting a storage contentof a memory cell in a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC circuit) withalpha ray entering into the memory cell.

It is conceivable that beta decay occurs on a radioactive element suchas U, Th, Po, etc. or a radioactive isotope included in Pb, Bi, etc. inthe solder alloy and then alpha decay occurs so that the alpha ray isemitted. Recently, a low alpha ray solder material is developed whereinthe contained amount of the radioactive element is reduced. Anassociated technology is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent No.4,472,752 (hereinafter referred to as “JP/4,472,752 patent”).

In the Cu core ball, the solder plating film is formed on the surface ofthe Cu ball. This solder plating film is a plated layer having a uniformfilm thickness. However, a growth of a crystal may be non-uniform basedon a condition of the plating process and like. As a result, the surfacethereof may be uneven. The Cu core ball having the uneven surface doesnot roll smoothly. Therefore, when the ball is jointed as the solderbump, an accuracy of the joint position becomes low.

In addition, organic constituent may be caught up in the uneven surfaceduring a period of forming the bump and the organic constituent may bemolten and gasified during the reflow. This may remain as void in thesolder plating film. The remained void causes trouble such as a reducedreliability of the joint or a position gap of the solder bump at a timewhen the gas composition is discharged from the solder plating film.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-216004 (hereinafterreferred to as “JP/2010-216004 publication”) or the like discloses atechnology of improving the unevenness of the solder plating film.

By the way, the WO/1995/24113 publication discloses the Cu ball and theCu core ball having the higher sphericity. However, this publicationdoes not disclose the alpha dose of the Cu core ball.

Moreover, the WO/1995/24113 publication describes only Pb—Sn alloy asthe solder alloy of making up the solder in the background explanation.The alpha ray is emitted from an isotope ²¹⁰Pb of Pb included as animpurity in Sn along the decay process ²¹⁰Pb->²¹⁰Bi->²¹⁰Po->²⁰⁶Pb. Alpharay are generated by the disintegration of polonium Isotope ²¹⁰Po toIsotope ²⁰⁶Pb.

It is conceivable that the Pb—Sn solder alloy contains its radioisotope²¹⁰Pb because the Pb—Sn solder alloy contains Pb in large quantitieswherein this solder alloy is only one disclosed in the WO/1995/24113publication. Therefore, even if this solder alloy is applied as thesolder film of the Cu core ball, it is impossible to reduce the alphadose. The WO/1995/24113 publication does not disclose a Sn plating onthe Cu ball and an electrolytic plating under a flowage condition of theCu ball and electrolysis solution. In electrolytic refining described inthe WO/1995/24113 publication, since an electrolytic deposition surfaceis limited to one direction, it is impossible to form a plating filmhaving an even film thickness on a micro work piece such as the Cu ball.

The JP/4,472,752 patent discloses a technology of Sn ingot having a lowalpha dose wherein it does not only electrolytically refine but alsoreduces the alpha dose by suspending adsorbent in electrolyte solutionto adsorb Pb and Bi.

According to the JP/4,472,752 patent, since a standard electrodepotential of Pb or Bi is close to that of Sn, it is difficult to reducethe alpha dose only by depositing electrolytically Sn on a planeelectrode with a general electrolytic refining. Assuming that theelectrolytic refining described in the JP/4,472,752 patent is applied toa process of forming the plating film on the Cu ball and the adsorbentis suspended in the plating solution for the barrel plating, theadsorbent is stirred simultaneously with the stir of the platingsolution and the work piece. In this case, there is a possibility thatthe Pb ion and Bi ion absorbed on the adsorbent become carriers and areincorporated into the solder film with the adsorbent.

The solder plating film, which takes in the adsorbent, emits the highalpha ray. Since the adsorbent has a very small grain diameter of theorder of sub-micron, it is difficultly conceivable to separate andcollect the adsorbent after the suspension while flowing the platingsolution. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the adsorbent, to whichPb and Bi are absorbed, from being incorporated into the film.

In addition, the WO/1995/24113 publication discloses a Pb—Sn basedsolder alloy. However, since a plating method, a deposit method, abrazing method and the like are described as an equivalent method, thispublication does not disclose a reduction of the alpha dose for a Snbased solder.

The subject matter of the WO/1995/24113 publication is to manufacturethe Cu core ball having the high sphericity. The JP/4,472,752 patentdiscloses that the alpha dose is reduced by removing Pb from Sn-basewherever possible in the electrolytic refining process.

Therefore, a person skilled in the art, who knows the WO/1995/24113publication, cannot suppose a problem where it is required to reduce thealpha dose from the Cu core ball disclosed in this publication. Inaddition, the composition of the Pb—Sn solder is different from that ofthe Sn based solder. Thus, it is conceivable that huge numbers oftrial-and-error processes are required to suppose the problem ofreducing the alpha dose of the Sn based solder and to select the Snbased solder from an endless number of solder alloys instead of thePb—Sn solder alloy for the solder film.

It may be very difficult for those skilled in the art to make theplating solution by using the Sn ingot having the lower alpha dosedescribed in the WO/1995/24113 publication and to form the Cu core ballwith the plating method described in this publication.

If a joint is formed by using the Cu core ball manufactured with theprior arts described in the WO/1995/24113 publication or theJP/4,472,752 patent, there is a high possibility that radioactiveelements in the solder film of the Cu core ball diffuse into theelectrodes of the joint and then the alpha ray is emitted. Therefore,the soft error as a new problem of the high-density mounting cannot besolved.

The JP/2010-216004 publication discloses the improvement of the surfaceroughness of the solder plating film by using a smoothing processwherein media such as abrading agent contact with the surface of thesolder plating film. The disclosed media are a physics method ofmechanically removing as described hereinbefore and a chemical methodsuch as acid wash.

However, it takes very long hours for the smoothing process with suchmedia to accomplish the surface roughness (Ra) enough for the mountingprocess. For example, 5 through 6 hours are required for accomplishingthe arithmetic average roughness Ra of the above surface roughness equalto or less than 0.3 μm. However, a practical realization of such surfaceroughness is difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention provides a Cu core ball, a solder pasteand a solder joint that inhibit a generation of a soft error, improve asurface roughness not affecting a mounting process and make their alphadose low.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present inventionprovides the Cu core ball comprising a Cu ball and a solder plating filmof coating the surface of the Cu ball. The Cu ball and the solderplating film are constructed as follows.

A pure degree of the Cu ball as a center material is 99.9% through99.995%, its sphericity is equal to or higher than 0.95 and its alphadose is equal to or less than 0.0200 cph/cm². The Cu ball is an insideball wherein impurity components are included in the Cu ball. In theimpurity components, the contained amount of Pb and/or Bi includingtheir radioisotopes is equal to or larger than 1 ppm. Similarly, thecontained amount of U and Th as radioactive elements in the inside ballis equal to or less than 5 ppb and preferably equal to or less than 2ppb.

The solder plating film comprises Sn or a solder alloy whose basismaterial is Sn. In a case of the solder alloy, the contained amount ofSn is equal to or larger than 40%. The arithmetic average roughness Raof the surface roughness for the solder plating film is equal to or lessthan 0.3 μm and preferably about 0.2 μm. In another embodiment, the puredegree of the Cu ball as the inside ball is 99.9 through 99.995% and itssphericity is equal to or higher than 0.95.

The solder plating film comprises the Sn or the solder alloy whose basismaterial is Sn. In this case, the contained amount of the U and Th asthe radioactive elements is equal to or less than 5 ppb and preferablyequal to or less than 2 ppb. The alpha dose of the Cu core ball is madeto be equal to or less than 0.0200 cph/cm². The arithmetic averageroughness Ra of the surface roughness for the solder plating film isequal to or less than 0.3 μm and preferably about 0.2 μm.

The Cu core ball can be used as the solder joint as well as a solderpowder for a solder paste.

For accomplishing the above-described conditions, the inventors firstselected the Cu ball used for the Cu core ball. As a result, they foundthat if the Cu ball did not contain a predetermined amount of Pb and/orBi, then the sphericity of the Cu ball reduces, the solder plating forthe Cu ball was not even during the plating with the solder and therebythe sphericity of the accomplished Cu ball reduced.

When spheronizing the Cu ball, a heating process temperature is highsuch as equal to or higher than 1,000° C. so that the lower alpha doseof the Cu ball is implemented by volatilizing the radioactive elementsin the impurities contained in the Cu ball.

In order to reducing the alpha dose of the solder film that composes theCu core ball, the inventors studied hard this subject by focusing on theplated film with the plating method. The inventors found unexpectedlythat the elements of Pb, Bi, Po formed salt without suspending theadsorbent when forming the plated film on the Cu ball by the flowage ofthe Cu balls and the plating solution so as to reduce Pb, Bi and Po inthe plating solution. Po was formed when the radioisotopes of Pb and Bidecay. Since the salt was electrically neutral, the radioactive elementwas not incorporated into the plated film. Then, they found that thealpha dose of the plating film reduced wherein the Cu core ballcomprised the plating film.

The smoothing process for the surface roughness is preformed byirradiation of ultrasonic waves under a condition of dipping the Cu coreball in the plating solution. Because of this irradiation of theultrasonic waves, the target surface roughness can be accomplished in ashort time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a SEM photograph of a Cu ball manufactured by using a Cupellet having a pure degree of 99.9%;

FIG. 2 shows a SEM photograph of a Cu ball manufactured by using a Cuwire having a pure degree equal to or less than 99.995%;

FIG. 3 shows a SEM photograph of a Cu ball manufactured by using a Cuplate having a pure degree larger than 99.995%;

FIG. 4 shows Table 1 that represents an element analysis result and asphericity of a formed Cu ball.

FIG. 5 shows Table 2 that represents measurement result of alpha doseand sphericity of some samples for a Cu core ball; and

FIG. 6 shows Table 3 that represents a relation between an arithmeticaverage roughness of the Cu core ball and a processing time of anultrasonic wave.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described in detail. In thisspecification, units (ppm, ppb and %) of a composition of solder platingfilm of a Cu core ball represent rates (mass ppm, mass ppb and mass %)to a mass of the solder film if not being specified. Units (ppm, ppb and%) of a composition of the Cu ball represent rates (mass ppm, mass ppband mass %) to a mass of the Cu ball if not being specified.

The Cu core ball according to the present invention comprises the Cuball and the solder plating film for coating a surface of the Cu ball.The Cu ball and the plated film (solder plating film) as components ofthe Cu core ball will be described in detail.

1. As for Cu Ball:

The Cu ball is not melted at a soldering temperature when being used asa solder bump. Since a sphericity of the Cu ball is high, a dispersionof a solder joint height can be suppressed. Therefore, it is preferablethat a dispersion of a diameter thereof is small.

(1a) Pure Degree of Cu Ball: Equal to or Larger than 99.9% and Equal toor Less than 99.995%

It is preferable that a pure degree of the Cu ball is equal to or largerthan 99.9% and equal to or less than 99.995%. By applying an impurityproper, the sphericity of the Cu ball is improved and an enough volumeof crystal cores can be kept in Cu solution.

When manufacturing the Cu ball, the Cu material is formed into apredetermined shaped chip and is melted by being heated at a temperatureof 1,000° C. or above. Then, the melted Cu becomes a spherical form withits surface tension. By solidifying it, it becomes the Cu ball. At aprocess of solidifying the molten Cu from its liquid state, the crystalgrains grow up in the molten Cu of the spherical form. Its detaileddescription will be discussed hereinafter. In this process, if there area lot of impurity elements, they become the crystal cores and preventthe crystal grains from growing. The molten Cu of the spherical formbecomes the Cu ball having the high sphericity with the fine crystalgrains that are suppressed to grow up.

On the other hand, if the number of impurity elements is less, thenrelatively less elements become the crystal core and they grow up in adirectional property without suppressing the grain growth. As a result,a part of the surface of the spherical form molten Cu projects andsolidifies so that the sphericity is low. Therefore, it is necessary tocontain the impurity to some degree for increasing the sphericity of theCu ball.

It is conceivable that the impurity may be Sn, Sb, Bi, Zn, As, Ag, Cd,Ni, Pb, Au, P, S, U, Th, etc. as will become apparent below.

It is desirable that the pure degree of the Cu ball is within a rangebetween 99.9% (including 99.9%) and 99.995% (including 99.995%) from theviewpoints of the sphericity problem, the alpha dose suppression thatwill be described hereinafter, and the degradation suppression of theelectrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the Cu ball based onthe reduced pure degree.

In the solder plating film that will be described hereinafter, thehigher its pure degree is, the lower its alpha dose is reduced. On theother hand, in the Cu ball, its alpha dose can be reduced withoutincreasing its pure degree beyond necessity. A reason thereof will bediscussed below.

Since the melting point of Cu is higher than that of Sn, the heatingtemperature of Cu is higher than that of Sn during the spheronizing. Aheating treatment at a high temperature is performed for manufacturingthe Cu ball wherein this treatment was not performed in the prior art aswill become apparent below. Therefore, radioactive elements such as²¹⁰Po, ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi, etc. contained in the impurity vaporize during theheating treatment. As a result, even if there is the radioactive elementin the impurity, the amount of the alpha dose emitting therefrom is notenough to affect.

As will become apparent below, there are many cases that the platingfilm of coating the Cu ball contains radioisotope of Pb, Bi, etc.

The solder plating film uses the solder including Sn as its basismaterial. However, almost all of the radioactive elements contained inthe solder solution remain in the plating solution without vaporizing.Because the reduction of the alpha dose cannot be expected in theplating film process, it is required to reduce the concentration of theimpurity such as Pb, Bi, etc. and to increase the pure degree of thesolder plating film as will become apparent below.

(1b) Alpha Dose: Equal to or Less than 0.0200 Cph/Cm²

The alpha dose emitted from the Cu ball is preferably equal to or lessthan 0.0200 cph/cm². This number means that the soft error counts fornothing in the high-density mounting of the electronic components.

In the manufacturing of the Cu ball, an insignificant amount of ²¹⁰Poremained in the Cu raw material vaporizes by a reheating treatmentprocess in addition to the normal heating treatment process. Thus, thealpha dose of the Cu ball become further lower in comparison with the Curaw material. The alpha dose is preferably equal to or less than 0.0010cph/cm² from a standpoint of suppressing the soft error.

(1c) Total Contained Amount of Pb and/or Bi Equal to or Larger than 1ppm

The total contained amount of Pb and/or Bi in the impurity elements inthe Cu ball is preferably equal to or less than 1 ppm.

²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Bi contained in Pb and Bi change to ²¹⁰PO through betadecay. It is prefer that the contained amount of Pb and Bi as theimpurity elements is as small as possible in order to reduce the alphadose. However, since the contained amount of these radioactive elementsis small originally, it is conceivable that ²¹⁰Bp and ²¹⁰Bi are removedby the heating treatment in the spheronizing process of the Cu ball.

It is better to increase the contained amount of the impurity elementsin order to improve the sphericity of the Cu ball. Therefore, it isprefer that the total contained amount of Pb and/or Bi is equal orlarger than 1 ppm in consideration of the hardness and sphericity of theCu ball. This contained amount may be equal or larger than 1 ppm and theamount may be 10-50 ppm or above it, for example, about 1,000 ppm inorder to suppress the degradation of the electrical conductivity of theCu ball.

(1d) Sphericity of Cu Ball: Equal to or Higher than 0.95

If the sphericity of the Cu ball is less than 0.95, the Cu ball becomesan indefinite shape. Therefore, the possibility is increased wherein thebumps having uneven heights are formed at the bump formation period andpoor joints are produced. In addition, the solder plating on the Cu ballmay be uneven. When an electrode is mounted on the Cu core ball and itis processed by a reflow treatment, there may be a position gap for theCu core ball and a self-alignment property becomes worse. Therefore, itis better that the sphericity is equal to or higher than 0.95,preferably about 0.990.

The sphericity represents a gap from a true sphere. The sphericity canbe determined by many kinds of methods, for example, a least-squarecircle method (LSC method), a minimum zone circle method (MZC method), amaximum inscribed circle method (MIC method), a minimum circumscribedcircle method (MCC method), etc.

It is prefer that the above values of the sphericity may be keptregardless of the plating film coated on the Cu ball.

(1e) Diameter of Cu Ball: 1-1000 μm

A diameter of the Cu ball composing the present invention is preferably1-1000 μm. If the diameter is within this range, the spherical Cu ballcan be stably manufactured. Moreover, a shorted connection can besuppressed when a pitch between the terminals is narrow.

If the diameter of the Cu ball is about 1-300 μm, they can be mixed asthe powder in the solder paste in a different usage pattern.

In a base process of the Cu ball, the surface of the Cu ball may bepreviously coated with an another metal plating layer before forming thesolder plating film (will be described below). If the surface of the Cuball is coated with a Ni plating layer, a Co plating layer or the like,a Cu elution into the solder plating film can be reduced. Therefore, itis possible to suppress a Copper erosin.

2. As for Solder Plating Film

The Cu core ball of the present invention is configured by coating thesolder plating film with a predetermined thickness on the surface of theCu ball.

The solder plating film is formed by the flowage of the Cu ball as themain work piece and the plating solution. It was found that the elementshaving the radioisotopes in Pb, Bi, Po, etc. generate salt in theplating solution and are deposited. Once the extracted material of thesalt is generated, it exists stably in the plating solution.

Therefore, according to the Cu core ball of the present invention, theextracted material is not incorporated into the solder plating film sothat it can reduce the amount of the radioisotopes contained in thesolder plating film. As a result, the alpha dose of the Cu core ball canbe significantly reduced.

(2a) Composition of Solder Plating Film

The composition of the solder plating film is Sn or an alloy compositionof a Sn-based lead-free solder alloy. The alloy composition ispreferably Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu alloy from a standpoint of a drop impactcharacteristic.

Other alloy composition may be Sn—Ag alloy, Sn—Cu alloy, Sn—Ag—Cu alloy,Sn—In alloy or such compositions to which a predetermined alloy elementis added. An amount of Cu in each of these compositions is equal to orlarger than 40 mass percent. The added alloy element may be, forexample, Ag, Cu, In, Ni, Co, Sb, Ge, P, Fe, etc.

A thickness of the solder plating film is not specially limited,however, it is preferably equal to or less than 100 μm. Generally, thethickness is 20-50 μm.

(2b) Contained Amount of U: Equal to or Less than 5 Ppb, and Th: Equalto or Less than 5 Ppb

U and Th are radioactive elements. It is required to reduce thecontained amount of these elements in order to suppress the soft error.The contained amount of each U and Th should be equal to or less than 5ppb in order to make the alpha dose of the solder plating film equal toor less than 0.0200 cph/cm². In addition, from a viewpoint of thesuppression of the soft error for the current or future high-densitymounting, the contained amount of each U and Th should be equal to orless than 2 ppb. In a case of the measurement method (ICP-MS) used atthis time, the value 2 ppb as the contained amount of U and Th is ameasurement limit.

(2c) Alpha Dose: Equal to or Less than 0.0200 Cph/Cm²

According to the present invention, the alpha dose emitting from thesurface of the Cu core ball is equal to or less than 0.0200 cph/cm².This amount of the alpha dose does not affect the soft error in thehigh-density mounting of the electronic components.

Since the solder plating film is formed under a temperature of about100° C., it is difficult to consider the contained amount of U, Th, Po,Bi, Pb, etc. reduce based on the vaporization of their radioisotopes.

When the plating process is performed during the flowage of the platingsolution and the Cu ball, the radioisotope of U, Th, Pb, Bi, ²¹⁰Po, etc.generate the salt in the plating solution and are deposited. Thedeposited salt is electrically neutral and are not mixed with the solderplating film even if the plating solution flows. Since the salt keepsthe deposition, the contained amount of the radioactive elements in thesolder plating film is significantly reduced.

According to the present invention, the contained amount of theradioactive elements in the solder plating film can be significantlyreduced so that the alpha dose of the Cu core ball can be suppressed toa value equal to or less than 0.0200 cph/cm² or preferably equal to orless than 0.0100 cph/cm².

In a case of using a Sn solder as the solder plating film composition,the pure degree of the solder plating film is the total contained amountof the impurities except Sn in the solder plating film. When the alloycomposition of the solder plating film is the solder alloy ofSn-3Ag-0.5Cu, the pure degree of the solder plating film is the sumcontained amount of the impurities except Sn, Ag and Cu in the solderplating film.

The impurities contained in the Sn solder plating film may be Ag, Ni,Pb, Au, U, Th, etc. In a case of the solder plating film comprisingSn—Ag—Cu alloy, the impurity may be Sb, Fe, As, In, Ni, Pb, Au, U, Th,etc.

In these impurities, it is prefer that the contained amount of Bi issmall. Generally, the raw material of Bi includes ²¹⁰Bi of theradioisotope slightly. Therefore, it is conceivable that the alpha doseof the solder plating film can be significantly reduced by reducing thecontained amount of Bi. The contained amount of Bi is preferably equalto or less than 15 ppm, more preferably equal to or less than 10 ppm andmost preferably 0 ppm.

3. Manufacturing Example of Cu Core Ball

Next, the manufacturing example of the above Cu core ball will bedescribed.

(3a) as for Cu Ball

(i) A Cu material as the raw material is put on a heat-resistant platesuch as a ceramic plate and both the material and the heat-resistantplate are heated by an oven. There are a lot of circle grooves whosebottoms are hemispherical.

The diameter and depth of the groove are appropriately set in accordancewith the grain diameter of the Cu ball. For example, the diameter is 0.8mm and the depth is 0.88 mm. The chip-shaped Cu material (hereinafter,referred to as “chip material”) is produced by cutting a Cu fine lineand each groove of the heat-resistant plate receives one chip material.

(ii) The heat-resistant plate whose groove receives the chip material isheated up to 100-1,300° C. in the oven filled with ammonia decompositiongas and its heating treatment is performed for 30-60 minutes. When thetemperature in the oven becomes equal to or higher than the meltingpoint of Cu, the chip material is melted and becomes a spherical shape.After that, the oven is cooled and the Cu ball is formed in the grooveof the heat-resistive plate.

(iii) After cooling, the formed Cu ball is again under the heatingtreatment whose temperature is 800-1,000° C. that is lower than themelting point of Cu. A purpose of the reheating treatment is to reducethe alpha dose by volatizing the remained radioactive elements.

One of the other methods of the spheronizing is an atomizing methodwherein the molten Cu is dropped through an orifice provided at a bottomof a crucible and the formed droplet is cooled to pelletize the Cu ball.Another method is to heat the Cu cut metal to a temperature equal to orhigher than 1,000° C. by thermal plasma for the spheronization.

The spheronized Cu ball may be under the reheating treatment at atemperature of 800-1,000° C. for 30-60 minutes. The Cu material for theCu ball may be under the heating treatment at a temperature of800-1,000° C. before spheronizing the Cu ball.

A palette, a wire, a pillar, etc. can be used for the Cu material thatis the raw material of the Cu ball. The pure degree of the Cu materialmay be 99.9-99.99% to prevent the Cu ball pure degree from decreasingtoo much. In a case of the Cu material having the high pure degree, theholding temperature of the molten Cu may be reduced to about 1,000° C.as is conventionally done.

The above explained heating treatment may be appropriately omitted ormodified in accordance with the pure degree and the alpha dose of the Cumaterial. Moreover, in a case of manufacturing the Cu ball having thehigh alpha dose or the Cu ball having a different shape, the Cu ball canbe reused as the raw material and the alpha dose can be reduced.

(3b) Solder Plating Film Treatment

The plating film is formed by dipping the Cu ball formed as describedabove in the plating solution and flowing the plating solution. Thereare some methods for forming the solder plating film. One of them is anelectrolytic plating method, such as a well-known barrel plating, etc.Another method is that a pump connected to a plating bath generates ahigh-speed turbulent flow of the plating solution in the plating bathand forms the plating film on the Cu ball with the turbulent flow of theplating solution. Additional method is that a vibration plate isprovided in the plating bath, the vibration plate is vibrated at apredetermined frequency to stir the plating solution with the high-speedturbulent flow and forms the plating film on the Cu ball with theturbulent flow of the plating solution.

The following is an example of forming the Cu core ball having about 140μm diameter by forming the Sn—Ag—Cu solder plating film having 20 μmfilm thickness on the Cu ball having 100 μm diameter.

(3b-i) The Sn—Ag—Cu contained plating solution includes essentialcomponents that are water based medium, sulfonic acid and metalcomponents such as Sn, Ag and Cu.

The metal components in the plating solution exist as Sn ion (Sn²⁺and/or Sn⁴⁺), Ag ion (Ag⁺) and Cu ion (Cu⁺/Cu²⁺). The plating solutionis made by mixing plating mother liquid mainly comprising water andsulfonic acids with metallic compound. The plating solution containspreferably organic complexing agent in order to stabilize the metallicions.

The following is examples of the metallic compound in the platingsolution.

Examples of Sn compound may be stannous compound such as tin salt oforganic sulfonic acid, e.g., methane sulfonic acid, ethane sulfonicacid, 2-propano-sulfonic acid, and p-phenol sulfonic acid; tin sulfate;tin oxide; tin nitric acid; tin chloride; tin bromide; tin iodide; tinphosphate; tin pyrophosphoric acid; tin acetate; tin formate; tincitrate; tin gluconate; tin tartrate; tin lactate; tin succinate; tinsulfamate; tin borofluoride; tin silicofluoride, etc. One of these Sncompounds may be used or a mixture of a plurality thereof may be used.

Examples of Cu compound may be copper salt of the above describedorganic sulfonic acid, copper sulfate, copper oxide, copper nitric acid,copper chloride, copper bromide, copper iodide, copper phosphate, copperpyrophosphoric acid, copper acetate, copper formate, copper citrate,copper gluconate, copper tartrate, copper lactate, copper succinate,copper sulfamate, copper borofluoride, copper silicofluoride, etc. Oneof these Cu compounds may be used or a mixture of a plurality thereofmay be used.

Examples of Ag compound may be silver salt of the above describedorganic sulfonic acid, silver sulfate, silver oxide, silver nitric acid,silver chloride, silver bromide, silver iodide, silver phosphate, silverpyrophosphoric acid, silver acetate, silver formate, silver citrate,silver gluconate, silver tartrate, silver lactate, silver succinate,silver sulfamate, silver borofluoride, silver silicofluoride, etc. Oneof these Ag compounds may be used or a mixture of a plurality thereofmay be used.

The contained amount of each metal in the plating solution is 0.21-2mol/L, preferably 0.25-1.00 mol/L for Sn²⁺; 0.01-0.1 mol/L, preferably0.02-0.05 mol/L for Ag⁺; and 0.002-0.02, preferably 0.003-0.01 mol/L forCu²⁺. Since only Sn²⁺ effects the plating, it is required to adjust theamount of Sn²⁺.

A ratio of the Ag ion concentration to the Cu ion concentration (Ag/Cumolar ratio) is preferably within a range of 4.50-5.58. In this range,the Sn—Ag—Cu plating film can be formed wherein it comprises theSn-3Ag-0.5Cu alloy having the low melting point.

(3b-ii) According to the following expression (1) based on Faraday's lawof electrolysis; a precipitation amount of the predetermined solderplating is estimated. Then, an electric quantity is calculated, and acurrent is applied to the plating solution so as to produce thecalculated electric quantity. The plating treatment is performed by theflowage of the Cu ball and the plating solution.

In a case of coating the Sn—Ag—Cu solder plating film having 20-μm filmthickness on the Cu ball having 100-μm diameter, the electric quantityof about 0.0108 coulomb is required. A size of the plating bath isdetermined in accordance with the total volume of the Cu ball and theplating solution.

w(g)=(I×t×M)/(Z×F)  Expression (1)

In the expression (1), w represents an electrolysis precipitation amount(g), I represents a current (A), t represents a current applying time(second), M represents an atomic weight of an element to be precipitated(118.71 for Sn), Z represents an atomic valence (bivalent for Sn) and Frepresents Faraday's constant (96,500 coulomb). The electric quantity Q(A×second) is (I×t).

According to the present invention, the plating process is performedwhile flowing the Cu ball and the plating solution. However, the flowingmethod is not limited. For example, the barrel electrolysis platingmethod may be used wherein a barrel rotates to flow the Cu ball and theplating solution.

(3b-iii) Atmospheric Air and N₂ After the Plating Treatment:

The Cu core ball of the present invention is obtained after drying it inan atmosphere during a predetermined time. This solder plating filmprocess can be applied to a form of column, pillar and pellet having acore of Cu.

In order to measure the sphericity and the alpha dose of the Cu coreball according to the present invention, the following Cu core ball(sample) was prepared. This will be described below.

4. Example of Preparing Sample Cu Ball

(4a) Cu Ball

The condition for manufacturing the Cu ball having the high sphericitywas researched. The Cu pellet having the pure degree of 99.9%, the Cuwire having the pure degree equal to or less than 99.995% and the Cuplate having the pure degree larger than 99.995% were prepared. Aftereach of them was put in the crucibles, their temperature was elevated to1,200° C. and the heating process was performed for 45 minutes. Themolten Cu was dropped through the orifice provided at the bottom of thecrucible. The formed droplet was cooled to pelletize spheronize the Cuball. The formed Cu ball has an average grain diameter of 250 μm. Table1 shown in FIG. 4 represents the element analysis result and thesphericity of the formed Cu ball. A method for measuring the sphericitywill be discussed hereinafter.

(4b) Sphericity of Cu Ball

The sphericity was measured by using a CNC image measurement system.This system was an ultra-quick vision model ULTRA QV 350-PROmanufactured by Mitsutoyo Corporation. The sphericity is an arithmeticmean value calculated by dividing a diameter of each of 500 Cu balls bya length of the longest axis of each Cu ball. The closer to the upperlimit 1.00, the closer to the true sphere. In this invention, the lengthof the diameter and the length of the longest axis are values measuredby the ultra-quick vision model ULTRA QV 350-PRO manufactured byMitsutoyo Corporation.

FIGS. 1-3 shows SEM photographs of each formed Cu ball. FIG. 1 is theSEM photograph of the Cu ball manufactured by using a Cu pellet having apure degree of 99.9%. FIG. 2 is the SEM photograph of the Cu ballmanufactured by using a Cu wire having a pure degree equal to or lessthan 99.995%. FIG. 3 is the SEM photograph of the Cu ball manufacturedby using a Cu plate having a pure degree higher than 99.995%. Amagnification ratio of these SEM photographs is 100 times.

(4c) Alpha Dose of Cu Ball

An alpha-ray measurement instrument of a gas-flow proportional counterwas used to measure the alpha dose. A measurement sample is the Cu ballsthat are bedded on a bottom of a low-depth vessel having a flat bottomof 300 mm×300 mm so as not to see the bottom. This measurement samplewas put in the alpha-ray measurement instrument and is remained in anatmosphere of PR-10 gas flow for 24 hours. Then, the alpha dose wasmeasured.

The PR-10 gas (argon 90% and methane 10%) used for the measurement wasone that a gas bottle filled with the PR-10 gas was kept for a periodequal to or longer than three weeks.

A reason why using the gas bottle kept for the period equal to or longerthan three weeks is based on JESD221 of JEDEC STANDARD-Alpha RadiationMeasurement in Electronic Materials determined by JEDEC (Joint ElectronDevice Engineering Council) not so as to produce the alpha-ray by radonin the atmospheric air that enters into the gas bottle.

(4d) Analyzing Element of Cu Ball

The element analysis was executed with an inductively-coupled plasmasource mass spectrometry (ICP-MS analysis) for U and Th and aninductively-coupled plasma emission spectroanalysis (ICP-AES analysis)for the other elements.

A table 1 of FIG. 4 shows the element analysis result and alpha dose ofthe manufactured Cu ball.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 (Table 1), the sphericity is equal to orhigher than 0.990 for the Cu balls using the Cu pellet having the puredegree of 99.9% and the Cu wire having the pure degree equal to or lessthan 99.995%. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (Table 1),the sphericity is less than 0.95 for the Ca ball using the Cu platehaving the pure degree higher than 99.995%.

Therefore, the sample of the following examples is the Cu core ballformed by using the Cu ball manufactured with the Cu pellet having thepure degree of 99.9%.

[Sample 1]

A producing example of the Cu core ball according to the sample 1 willbe described below.

As for the Cu ball produced with the Cu pellet having the pure degree of99.9%, the Sn solder plating film was formed to produce the Cu core ballunder the following condition.

The Cu core ball was produced by the plating treatment using thefollowing plating solution with the electric quantity of about 0.17coulomb so as to coat the Cu ball having 250-μm diameter with the Snsolder plating film having 50-μm thickness. By observing thecross-section of the Cu core ball with the SEM photograph, it was foundthat the film thickness of the solder plating film was 50 μm. Afterprocessing, it was dried in the atmospheric air to obtain the Cu coreball.

[Solder Plating Solution Used in Sample 1]

All 54-weight-percent solution of methanesulfonic in water was mixedwith one third of water necessary for adjusting the plating solution andthe mixture was put in a stirring vessel. Acetylcysteine is an exampleof mercaptan compound as complexing. It was added to the mixture. Afterconfirming the dissolution, 2,2-ditiodianiline was added wherein2,2-ditiodianiline is one example of aromatic amino compound. When themixture became light blue gel solution, metanesulfonate stannous wasrapidly added thereto.

Then two third of water necessary for the plating solution was added.Finally, 3 g/L of alpha-naphtol polyethoxylate (EO10 mol) was added tocomplete the adjustment of the plating solution wherein alpha-naphtolpolyethoxylate is an example of surface acting agent. Then, the platingsolution was prepared wherein a density of the methanesulfonic was 2.64mol/L and that of tin ion was 0.337 mol/L.

The methanesulfonate stannous used in this example was prepared from aSn sheet material as a raw material. An element analysis of the Sn sheetmaterial and the solder plating film was performed wherein the Sn sheetmaterial is as the raw material for the solder plating solution and thesolder plating film is formed on the surface of the Cu core ball. In theanalysis, a high-frequency inductively-coupled Plasma mass analysis(ICP-MS analysis) was used for U and Th and a high-frequencyinductively-coupled plasma emission spectrochemical analysis (ICP-AESanalysis) was used for the other elements.

The alpha dose of the Sn sheet material was measured similarly to themeasurement for the Cu ball except that the sheet material was overlaidon the vessel having the flat bottom of 300 mm×300 mm. The alpha dose ofthe Cu core ball was measured similarly to the Cu ball measurement. Thesphericity of the Cu core ball was measured under the same condition ofthe Cu ball measurement. These measurement results are shown in Table 2of FIG. 5.

[Sample 2]

A producing example of the Cu core ball according to the sample 2 willbe described below.

As for the Cu ball produced with the Cu pellet having the pure degree of99.9%, the Sn—Ag—Cu solder plating film having 50-μm thickness wasformed to produce the Cu core ball.

[Solder Plating Solution Used in Sample 2]

The solder plating solution was the Sn—Ag—Cu plating solution.

All 54-weight-percent solution of methanesulfonic in water was mixedwith one third of water necessary for adjusting the plating solution andthe mixture was put in a stirring vessel.

A predetermined amount of silver oxide was put into the vessel whilestirring. After confirming the mixture become completely transparentwithout black deposition, cooper hydroxide was rapidly added. After itwas completely dissolved, acetylcysteine was added whereinacetylcysteine is the example of mercaptan compound as complexing. Afterconfirming the dissolution, 2,2-ditiodianiline was added wherein2,2-ditiodianiline is one example of aromatic amino compound.

When the mixture became light blue gel solution, methanesulfonatestannous was rapidly added thereto. The solution became yellowtransparent. Then two third of water necessary for the plating solutionwas added. Finally, 3 g/L of alpha-naphtol polyethoxylate (EO10 mol) wasadded to complete the adjustment of the plating solution whereinalpha-naphthol polyethoxylate is an example of surface acting agent.Then, the plating solution was prepared wherein a density of themethanesulfonic was 2.64 mol/L, that of tin ion is 0.337 mol/L, that ofcooper ion was 0.005 mol/L and that of silver ion was 0.0237 mol/L.

After preparing the plating solution as described hereinbefore, theplating solution similar to the sample 1 was prepared and then the Cucore ball was formed except using the Sn sheet material used in thesample 1, a Cu plate material and an Ag chip material. The Sn sheetmaterial has the alpha dose of 0.203 cph/cm². The Cu plate material hasthe alpha dose <0.0010 cph/cm² and the pure degree of 6N. The Ag chipmaterial has the alpha dose <0.0010 cph/cm² and the pure degree of 5N.Then, the element analysis and the measurement of the alpha dose and thesphericity were performed. The measurement result is shown in Table 2 ofFIG. 5.

In this example, the tin ion is based on the Sn sheet material, and thesilver ion and the copper ion are respectively based on the Ag chipmaterial and the Cu plate material.

[Comparison Sample]

As for the Cu ball manufactured with the Cu pellet having the puredegree of 99.9%, the Sn solder plating film was formed with a weldingmethod under the following condition to make the Cu core ball.

In particular, a plurality of mortar shaped grooves were provided atpredetermined positions of an aluminum plate for which a soldering isdifficult. The Sn ball having 300-μm diameter was previously formed withthe well-known atomizing method by using the above-described Cn sheet.

One Cu ball and one Sn ball were respectively input in each grooveprovided at the aluminum substrate and flux was jetted thereto. Afterthat, the aluminum plate in a heating furnace was heated to 270° C. tomelt the Sn ball. The molten Sn flowed around the Cu ball and coated theCu ball with the surface tension.

The Cu core ball for the comparison sample was prepared as explainedbefore. The film thickness of the solder plating film was 50 μm.Similarly to the sample 1, the element analysis and the measurement ofthe alpha dose and the sphericity were executed. The measurement resultis shown in Table 2 of FIG. 5.

According to Table 2, the alpha dose of the sample 1 is less than 0.010cph/cm². It was proved that the Cu core ball of the sample 1 reduces thealpha dose by forming the solder plating film with a wet plating method.

As for the sample 2, if the composition of the solder plating film isSn-2.95Ag-0.29Cu, the alpha dose of the solder was less than 0.0010cph/cm². It was proved that the Cu core ball of the sample 2 reduces thealpha dose by forming the solder plating film with the plating methodsimilar to the sample 1. After the Cu core balls prepared by the samples1 and 2 passed one year, the alpha dose increment was not seen.

On the other hand, the comparison sample shows 0.183 cph/cm² as thealpha dose that is the same range of the Sn sheet material. In the Cucore ball of the comparison sample, the alpha dose could not be reducedto prevent the soft error.

Evaluation on Surface Roughness of Cu Core Ball

The Cu core ball of the samples 1 and 2 can be used as a sample for thesurface roughness measurement; however, a new sample was prepared forthe surface roughness measurement.

(5a) Sample for Surface Roughness Measurement

The Cu ball similar one used in the sample 1 (using Cu material;diameter 200 μm; pure degree in a range between 99.9% (including 99.9%)and 99.995% (including 99.995%)) is used. The plating treatment forpreparation is performed to this Cu ball. In the example, the 2-μm Niplating treatment was performed.

After that, the plating treatment with 100% Sn was performed to the Cuball until the film thickness became 48 μm. Therefore, the diameter ofthe Cu core ball is 250 μm.

This Cu core ball and the plating solution were put in a 300-cc beakerand an ultrasonic equipment irradiates an ultrasonic wave to them. Theultrasonic equipment is a commercially available an ultrasonic washer(As-One Corporation model US-CLEANER). In this example, an output powerwas 80 W and its frequency was 40 kHz. After predetermined hours passed,it was washed with ion-exchange water. Then, it was dried with a hotwind to make the sample for the surface roughness measurement.

The surface roughness was evaluated (image evaluation) by using a lasermicroscope of KEYENCE Corporation (model VK-9510 corresponding toJISB0601-1994). It is prefer that an evaluation area is as small aspossible. In this example, the diameter of the Cu core ball was 250 μm.Thus, the measurement was performed in 25×25 μm area whose center is theflattest part of the apex of the Cu core ball. A measurement pitch alonga z-axis is 0.1 μm.

(5b) Evaluation of Surface Roughness

Under such condition, the surface roughness was measured at any tenpoints where Ra represents an arithmetic average roughness of the Cucore ball. The measured values are arithmetically averaged to get a truearithmetic average roughness. Simultaneously, the irradiation time ofthe ultrasonic wave (processing time) was changed for the measurement.Table 3 (FIG. 6) shows the measurement result.

As is clear from the result of Table 3, it was confirmed that thearithmetic average roughness Ra became equal to or less than 0.3 μm byirradiating the ultrasonic wave for about 50-60 minutes, and it wasimproved to about 0.22 μm by 60 minute irradiation. For comparison,JP/2010-216004 publication needs 5-6 hours for processing to get thesimilar arithmetic average roughness Ra. If the frequency and outputlevel of the ultrasonic wave are appropriately adjusted, better resultswould be obtained.

As described hereinbefore, the present invention can provide the Cu coreball that suppresses the soft error generation, has the surfaceroughness not affect the mounting treatment and makes the alpha doselow.

The Cu core ball of the present invention can be applied to the solderjoint and the solder paste.

Although various embodiments, which incorporate the techniques of thepresent invention, have been shown and described in detailed herein,those skilled in the art will readily understand that many other variedembodiments may be incorporated using these techniques, and all areintended to lie within the scope of the following claims.

1. A Cu core ball, comprising: a Cu ball as an inside ball; and a solderplating film for coating a surface of said Cu ball; wherein in said Cuball, its pure degree is equal to or higher than 99.9% and equal to orless than 99.995%, a contained amount of U is equal to or less than 5ppb, a contained amount of Th is equal to or less than 5 ppb, a totalcontained amount of Pb and/or Bi is equal to or larger than 1 ppm, itssphericity is equal to or higher than 0.95 and its alpha dose is equalto or less than 0.0200 cph/cm²; wherein said solder plating film is asolder plating film comprising a lead free solder alloy, and its primarycomponent is Sn or a Sn solder plating film; and wherein an arithmeticaverage roughness of said Cu core ball is equal to or less than 0.3 μm.2. The Cu core ball according to claim 1 characterized in that thecontained amount of U in said solder plating film is equal to or lessthan 5 ppb and the contained amount of Th in said solder plating film isequal to or less than 5 ppb.
 3. The Cu core ball according to claim 1characterized in that said roughness is equal to or less than 0.22 μm.4. The Cu core ball according to claim 2 characterized in that saidroughness is equal to or less than 0.22 μm.
 5. The Cu core ballaccording to claim 1 characterized in that said Cu ball is previouslycoated by a plating layer comprising at least one element selected froma group of Ni and Co before being coated by said solder plating film. 6.The Cu core ball according to claim 2 characterized in that said Cu ballis previously coated by a plating layer comprising at least one elementselected from a group of Ni and Co before being coated by said solderplating film.
 7. The Cu core ball according to claim 3 characterized inthat said Cu ball is previously coated by a plating layer comprising atleast one element selected from a group of Ni and Co before being coatedby said solder plating film.
 8. The Cu core ball according to claim 1characterized in that the alpha dose is equal to or less than 0.0200cph/cm².
 9. The Cu core ball according to claim 2 characterized in thatthe alpha dose is equal to or less than 0.0200 cph/cm².
 10. The Cu coreball according to claim 3 characterized in that the alpha dose is equalto or less than 0.0200 cph/cm².
 11. The Cu core ball according to claim5 characterized in that the alpha dose is equal to or less than 0.0200cph/cm².
 12. A solder paste characterized in that the Cu core balldefined by claim 1 is used.
 13. A solder paste characterized in that theCu core ball defined by claim 2 is used.
 14. A solder pastecharacterized in that the Cu core ball defined by claim 3 is used.
 15. Asolder paste characterized in that the Cu core ball defined by claim 5is used.
 16. A solder paste characterized in that the Cu core balldefined by claim 8 is used.
 17. A solder joint characterized in thatsaid solder joint is formed by using the Cu core ball defined byclaim
 1. 18. A solder joint characterized in that said solder joint isformed by using the Cu core ball defined by claim
 2. 19. A solder jointcharacterized in that said solder joint is formed by using the Cu coreball defined by claim
 3. 20. A solder joint characterized in that saidsolder joint is formed by using the Cu core ball defined by claim
 5. 21.A solder joint characterized in that said solder joint is formed byusing the Cu core ball defined by claim 8.